History unfolds through fan exhibit

Ostrich feathers, lace, spangles and hand-painted silk adorn the 100 fans on display at the “Fantasia: Fans from the Sage Collection” exhibit at the Monroe County History Center. The exhibit, which runs until Jan. 5, chronicles how fans were used throughout history.\nJill Lesh, managing director of the Monroe County History Center, said co-curators Kelly Richardson and Kate Rowald chose fans that would demonstrate a variety of uses and shapes over a long period of time.\n“We have quite a lot of fans, over 300, and we’ve simply always wanted to do an exhibit on this subject,” Richardson said. “Fans were such an essential part of fashionable and ceremonial life for hundreds, really thousands, of years. They are small artworks in their own right and tell of a way of life that no longer exists.”\nThe exhibit features several types of fans, ranging from elaborately painted folding fans with pastoral, biblical or mythological scenes to modern advertising fans made of cardboard or wood. Panels explaining the history and use of fans over time accompany the displays. \nWhile the exhibit details the historical and geographical presence of fans from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, it also highlights some of the more peculiar uses of the accessory.\n“I liked the information about how fans were used by women to send messages to men,” said Erin Duffy, an IU freshman. “Women could use different movements and placements of the fan to tell a man he had a chance or to break his heart or just to tell him to keep a secret.”\nFans were often tools for silent communication and a single movement could convey a common phrase. Some of the quirkier examples from the exhibit included shutting the fan very slowly to express “I promise to marry you” or twirling the right hand to say “I love another.”\nThe fans on display were pulled from the Elizabeth Sage Historic Costume Collection, part of IU’s Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design, and individual donors. Most were part of the collection of Avis Burke, a fan enthusiast and collector, Richardson said.\n“We’re just thrilled that we could be the place to have (the exhibit),” Lesh said.\nThough the exhibit had been on display since Oct. 12, only a few people, mainly artists and designers, viewed the fans prior to the opening reception on Oct. 19, Lesh said.\n“People who enjoy art, fashion and history should definitely visit the exhibit to see these rarely viewed artifacts,” Richardson said. “The fans’ glittering and hand-painted designs, intriguing history and interesting exhibit presentation should please everyone.”\nAdmission to the museum is free to members and children under the age of 4. For non-members, admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children aged 5 to 18. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.